Nigel Gatherer's Musical Journeys

The musical to-ing and fro-ing between Scotland and Ireland is well known. Many Scots-origin tunes still grace the Irish repertoire, particularly reels which, in the words of Caoimhin MacAoidh "pervaded the all of Ireland in the [19th] century" [1].

When it comes to the U.S.A. it's common to hear someone in the UK saying "the old-time tunes all come from Scotland (or Ireland)." In actual fact this is somewhat overstated. The Scottish influence on the American old-time tradition is accepted, but the number of tunes which can be traced back to a definite Scottish original is not as large as some would imagine.

I have always been fascinated by how tunes travel, and how the same tune can be palyed in different ways in different cultures. For this project I have put together a list of tunes which have distinct versions in Scotland, Ireland and the United States. It is the result of years of noting tunes I've heard or found here, there and everywhere. It is, of course, a long-term project which, hopefully, will expand over time. Any comments or contributions welcome
(email me).